


i'm with you.

by aceface



Category: Twilight - Meyer
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-05-06
Updated: 2010-05-06
Packaged: 2017-10-09 08:22:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/85000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aceface/pseuds/aceface
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>for this prompt by epicflailer: y'know what would make my day perfect? someone writing me a human!au where jacob is a car mechanic, & bella is his bff, & they fall in love. this is all your fault.</p>
            </blockquote>





	i'm with you.

he's there, like he always is, with a smudge of oil in his face that leaves her with the overwhelming urge to reach out and wipe at it with the pad of her thumb, feel it sticking to her touch. of course, she doesn't, because that would be weird and bella is a lot of things, but she's not someone who goes around wiping people's faces without asking. 

"hi," she says instead, because it feels like a compromise. 

he looks up at her, surprised into a reaction and it's only a second before a grin sweeps over his face, warm and welcoming. "hey. bella, right?"

the use of her name sends a jolt of familiarity through her stomach (like maybe they've met somewhere already, only that's more than a little ridiculous because bella's only just moved to this town and she'd remember if she'd seen him before). "yeah," she says instead, "jacob," and she turns away before he can meet her eyes. she doesn't question how he knows her name. she didn't know that he'd even noticed her.

she knows that she'd only fall over, but she still comes close to skipping all the way home.

-

she stops longer and longer to watch him work, at the garage. he doesn't seem to mind -- he doesn't tell her to leave him alone, at least, and it's a welcome distraction for when the house is empty and she doesn't want to be alone. he talks to her all the time, keeping up an easily running stream of conversation about the car, baseball, dumb things his friends do... he never talks about himself, though, not really, and it takes her longer than it should to realise that's because she never asks.

next time she's there, she says, "so i moved here to live with my dad," as she sits on the wall, bracing herself with her arms and kicking her feet as she struggles to pull herself up. his arms twitch reflexively and she half-wishes that he'd lift her up like he wants to, imagining the dark bruises of his stained fingerprints on her shirt. "he's divorced, and my mom went to travel with her boyfriend."

he doesn't say anything as she looks at him expectantly, and she laughs before saying, "that means it's your turn."

"oh," he says, "i didn't realise -- never mind. um," and he's off and running as he slides himself back under the car, chattering about his life this time. bella's happy to listen, her fingers curled tight around the rough brick of the wall as she watches his feet sticking out from under the car and feels the sun warming her arms. 

she tells renee that night, winding the phone cord around her fingers, "maybe i could like it here."

-

"hey," jacob greets her, smiling widely in the way that makes her smile back at him instinctively. "i got you something."

he throws something at her that she only just manages to catch, one foot skidding on the gravel as she steps back, and she just manages to catch herself with a stumble. "what is this?" it seems just like a bundle of cloth but judging by the way jake's grinning at her, she's willing to bet that it's more than that.

he nods at it, hands deep in his pockets. "have a look and see."

she shakes it out, and the cloth rearranges itself into overalls. they're pretty old, worn at the elbows and there's a hole behind the knee, but they're small and her size. "what? why --" she cuts herself off, not wanting to sound ungrateful, and smiles at him. "these are great, honestly, jake. but why did you get me them?"

"i thought if you're hanging around here all day, you might as well make yourself useful." jacob shrugs one shoulder, casually, but there's a hint of anxiousness in his eyes that she's rarely seen. "they were my mom's. i thought they'd fit you."

"they're great," bella repeats, her voice warm, and jacob's expression becomes something closer to genuine. "do i just -- they go on over my clothes, right?"

"right," jacob confirms, and it only takes a few moments for bella to slip them on, shaking her hair out and doing up the buttons, one by one. jacob watches her, expression open and fond, and something about it makes her breath catch in her throat.

the overalls are comfortable and soft and she spends the rest of the day passing him things when he asks for them.

-

this time, she doesn't hesitate to dip her fingers into the oil, flicking it at him and enjoying the way it spatters across his face. she can't hide a giggle when he turns to face her, amusement contrasting with the smudges of black across his face. 

"you shouldn't have done that," he warns her and she backs away, holding her hands up in surrender. "oh no, it's too late for that now."

"i didn't," she forces out through her laughter and shrieking a little when he growls and springs forward. she turns to run, stumbling over her own feet and reaching out to grip the side of the car for balance, ducking around the side and crouching down. she bites her lip to stop more giggles from escaping, holding her breath and ready to run when he catches her from behind, reaching out to smear the greasy oil down one side of her face with cool fingers. "jake!"

he easily darts away when she spins around to face him, and she chases him around the car until she's breathless, strands of her hair escaping from her ponytail and hanging in her eyes. 

"truce?" jacob calls and she nods hesitantly, still suspicious. he catches her hands in his, squeezing tightly and not taking his eyes away from hers. "i wouldn't lie to you, bella."

against all reason, she believes him.

-

he kisses her.

_he_ kisses _her_.

-

july turns into august and they trade slow, lazy kisses in the grass. she comes home to find her skin marked with oily fingerprints and she likes to trace them with her own, track the journey of his hands across her body. she learns to change a tyre and, although she still can't identify the foreign looking objects under the hood of a car, she can hear the sound of a smile in his voice. she takes her first trip under the car, holding tight to his hand the entire time and he pushes her across the floor of the garage on his skateboard.

in september, renee calls and says, "honey, we're ready for you to come home."

"this _is_ my home," she tells jacob, leaning her forehead against his, so deep in his eyes that she feels dizzy (but never lost).

"do what you think is right," jacob says, and she can translate him well enough by now to hear him say _stay with me_.

next time renee calls, bella doesn't hesitate to tell her no. she'd give up a lot more than that for him.

jacob whispers _i love you_ into her mouth and bella hasn't lost anything at all.


End file.
